During the month of October, we reached out to members of TuDiabetes, asking for video submissions on which they described life with diabetes through one of the five senses (sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste). This contest was called Making Sense of Diabetes.

This is the compilation video we've produced in time for World Diabetes Day (Nov. 14), highlighting some of the best contributions made during the contest. We hope it will help people who do not have diabetes to better understand what life with diabetes is like.

Today, over 800 student activists converged on Capitol Hill for the largest lobby day to prevent genocide in history. 

The event is called The Big Blue Test because the blue circle is the international symbol for diabetes. The idea of a shared "blood sugar test-in" started with an activity organized in July 2009 by TuDiabetes. More than a thousand people participated then. Now, we seek to reach thousands of people with diabetes through seven other diabetes social networks and Twitter. The activity incorporates 14 minutes of physical activity to reinforce the importance of exercise.

People with diabetes have to test their blood sugar routinely. It can be a very lonely activity. So we want people to take The Big Blue Test, to shed light on this chronic condition and the importance of exercise on World Diabetes Day.

Although we've gotten some amazing submissions for Making Sense of Diabetes so far, we thought it'd be a good idea to collect some tips for those who may not be as inclined to appear in front of the camera and a few others for those who want to do it but are not quite sure how to complete SOME part in the process of putting together a video for Making Sense of Diabetes (or anything else, for that matter). Here you go...

FIRST THING: THE STORY

I wanted to share with you our most recent diabetes awareness project at the Diabetes Hands Foundation, called Making Sense of Diabetes

We are seeking video entries that tell about the impact diabetes has on our lives through one of the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. Watch this video to learn about the project and please help us pass the word around about it (perhaps one of you will take us up and help us make sense of diabetes.

We've called upon our members in TuDiabetes and EsTuDiabetes to share the story of their lives with diabetes in creative ways. One of those initiatives was called Diabetes Supplies Art, a project through which members built their own pieces of art with their used (and sometimes unused) diabetes supplies.

We took some of the best submissions and created this video to help shed light on the challenges that people with diabetes live with around the world.

Recently, I woke up with an idea for a video leading up to World Diabetes Day, this coming Nov. 14. It would have a fun theme, a-la-Charlie Chaplin, with some unusual photos that would hopefully get people's attention... so I wondered whether using some ACTUAL music like the one Charlie Chaplin's movies had would be possible.

It turned out that his first movie, Making a Living, was in the public domain. With some trial-and-error on iMovie, I was finally able to extract the audio track from the video (Archive.org carries the entire movie, for you to download) and with a few hours of editing work, this is what resulted:

With a few more days to go before our deadline of Nov. 1, I wanted to appeal to the rest of the NetSquared readers to help us reach our goal of 20,000 signatures, in an attempt to appeal to Google so they will consider doing a World Diabetes Day doodle on Nov. 14.

So far we have collected a little under 9,000 signatures (using iPetitions.com, if you are curious) on DiabetesDoodle.com.

A moment of personal exoterica before we launch into the N2Y2 events in San Jose; tonight I'm packing and now all of you are privy to my sundries:

* Laptop w/bag (liveblogging from San Jose)
* Camera (to remember what you beautiful people look like)
* Shoes (never forget the good shoes for dancing)
* Clothes (magenta and red, a fiery feeling)
* Books (any suggestions?)
* AMO Game (always connecting the dots)
* Chocolate (the raw cacao powder this time)
* Hand Cream (see Beth Kanter's tips for liveblogging post)
* I heard I love you! card (ask Jean Russell for more info)
* Virtually Delicious (our Second Life design team cards)
* Saving Grace (a gift for a friend)
* Go Green Guide (playa planning 101)
* Delight (for manifesting good cheer)

Hello Friends of ManorMeta!
It's true...we're moving! Our Better World Island location became too small for our crystalline sanctuary and we wish our friends at Care.org and the Better World Scouts the best wishes as they build amazing aid and activism efforts inworld. We will continue to be active scouts and offer you AMO Island as a resort alternative for visionary communities in development around the world.